


Enough is Enough

by whimsicottly



Category: Final Fantasy XV
Genre: Gen, Hurt/Comfort, SUPER SELF INDULGENT WOW, for like 1 paragraph lmao, mentions of Cor Leonis, noctis is reckless in battle and its up to the guys to make him stop being dumb
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-02-16
Updated: 2017-02-16
Packaged: 2018-09-24 22:19:17
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,041
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9789524
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/whimsicottly/pseuds/whimsicottly
Summary: The most drastic change is not Noctis, but how he fights. At first, no one notices. They chalk up the minute-long battles to easy victories. After having Cor the Immortal on their side for a while, they’d gotten accustomed to quick wins, after all. But it doesn’t go undetected for long.





	

The days after the fall of Insomnia bring about a new change of pace to the group.

The air has shifted, if just a little bit. Things seem to be tense. Jokes seem to be forced, and the once natural puns seem to be made now for the sole purpose of clearing the air of whatever smog has decided to settle between them. Nobody in the group is quite ready to address the elephant that is so clearly in the room. Nobody is quite ready to talk about what happened.

One of the most drastic changes, however, not the _most_ drastic, is Noctis. Everyone has noticed by now. He’s more withdrawn. In fact, some nights, he even goes to bed without playing a game of King’s Knight. He seems detached, as if something’s on his mind, but he can’t allow himself to think it, and can’t allow himself to feel it, no matter what.

The most drastic change is not Noctis, but how he fights. At first, no one notices. They chalk up the minute-long battles to easy victories. After having Cor the Immortal on their side for a while, they’d gotten accustomed to quick wins, after all. But it doesn’t go undetected for long.

Ignis is the first to notice.

He observes the way Noctis doesn’t allow himself any room to breathe in battle, metaphorically and literally. A deep breath, a warp strike, warp strike, warp strike, warp strike, and the battle’s won. He sees how Noctis staggers a bit before catching himself and finding his footing once more, sees how hard he’s breathing, and sees him pull out an ether when no one’s looking. He especially notices how Noctis immediately topples over onto the bed of the caravan when they arrive, or into the tent right as it’s done getting set up. While it’s true that him wanting to sleep as soon as possible isn’t uncommon, it’s clear to see that this is a new low.

At first, Ignis doesn’t say anything. He wants to believe that his charge is simply trying a new strategy, albeit a questionable one. Give him time to figure out how he wants to battle, right? It’s only fitting for him to want to experiment, after all. However, he can’t help but wonder what the point of pushing himself to the point of exhaustion is. It’s simply impractical.

After the third consecutive battle of watching Noctis battle like this, he decides that he can’t allow it to go on any longer.

If Ignis were to be truthful about it, he knew it was never about finding a battle strategy, anyway. He knows Noctis well enough by now to understand that this behavior is his way of coping with the sudden loss that all of them are experiencing. There are unhealthier ways of coping, he muses, but he must put an end to this nonetheless.

 

The next time they get into battle, it’s with a group of daemons who had intercepted the group as they were making their way towards a haven. Ignis makes a mental note to remind Noctis that he needs to be wise about his timing and rationing of the crystal’s magic. The fight is over in what feels like less than a second; the three have nary an opportunity to attack the enemy before there aren’t even any more enemies to attack.

Ignis, Gladiolus, and Prompto stand relatively near each other, allowing their weapons to return to the void of the crystal’s magic. Noctis is a ways away, standing over an Iron Giant that he had slain nearly all on his own.

Ignis makes his way towards him, walking briskly. “Noct,” he calls. The prince in question looks like he’s ready to collapse; breathing heavy, knees bent, eyes unfocused.

“Don’t push yourself.” Ignis continues. “Be wise with your warp strikes.” He tries to make eye contact to illustrate his point, but Noctis keeps his gaze trained on the ground below them.

“Yeah, I know.” Noctis says after a while, still sounding breathless, but voice tinged with a mix of exasperation and annoyance nevertheless. He turns, walking away from Ignis and towards the haven once more, effectively bringing an abrupt end to the confrontation before it had even begun.

As Noctis leads the group in the general direction of the campsite, Ignis has no choice but to follow suit. Gladiolus gives him a look that seems to be a mix of sympathy and of ‘Noct is being a little bitch again, isn’t he.’ Prompto merely gives him that worried look he has.

 

After that incident, the two in question seem to pick up on the signs as well, and attempt to knock some sense into Noctis before he gets seriously hurt.

It’s an unspoken agreement between the three of them; to get Noctis to stop going overboard with the attacks as soon as possible. It’s clear to see that it’s brought more harm than good. While yes, battles end much quicker, and they’re all grateful for the eradication of any threat, the victory is pointless if Noctis is left exhausted, pushed even past stasis by the end of it. Not only is it impractical, but it’s proving to have a great physical (and emotional) toll on their friend.

 

The next time they do battle, it’s against a school of sea devils. Like clockwork, the battle is over before it’s even really begun. Ignis takes note that Prompto only had time to fire three bullets, while Gladiolus had only swung his greatsword twice, at the same enemy, no less. As expected, Noctis looks like he’s ready to topple over into the water and be swept away for the rest of the sea devils to have for breakfast.

It’s Gladiolus who calls to him now, wasting no time.

“Hey!” he says, not even making a move to close the distance between them. Shouting at him from across the battlefield substantiates his point, he thinks. “Quit being reckless.”

“Yeah, I know.” Noctis replies, looking over his shoulder, but not making eye contact. He looks ahead once more and walks away from the rest of the group, leaving them to follow behind him.

Prompto shoots Gladiolus another one of his worried glances before going ahead to walk by Noctis, assuring that he won’t charge ahead with absolutely no back-up again. The older two members of party trail behind them, air heavy with a frustration they both understand. Gladiolus grumbles, but stays silent nevertheless, knowing that whatever he could say would have no effect.

 

It’s two days later when anyone tries anything again.

It’s against a horde of MT Soldiers that, as usual, unexpectedly drop out of the sky as they’re making their way to the location of the hunt they had just taken on. They draw their weapons as they watch the troopers jump to the ground, ready for battle.

As the first one lands, Noctis is immediately on it, warp striking to where it’s situated. Ignis, Gladiolus, and Prompto share an internal ‘God fucking dammit not this shit again’ as they watch it happen, but join the fray of battle as well.

The MT’s don’t fall easily, and it’s clear to see that Noctis’ new lone wolf-esque ‘battle strategy’ isn’t going to work against what is essentially a mini-army. He loses his footing as he attempts to deliver the final blow to the last one, clearly a result of the exhaustion of pushing himself past his limit. Prompto catches him by the shoulder, and is quick to help him regain his balance before shooting the trooper once, right through its artificial eye, effectively incapacitating it.

“Noct,” Prompto starts, still holding onto Noctis’ shoulder. “You’re not alone.”

“Yeah.” Noctis breathes. “I know. Thanks.”

He’s still pointedly avoiding eye contact, and it sets Prompto off. Giving him one of his worried looks has no effect this time. Noctis moves back, breaking the physical contact between them, and effectively ending the conversation before the real confrontation could begin.

“Let’s go.” Noctis says to the group, turning away once more, as if nothing had happened.

For the third consecutive time now, the group has no choice but to acquiesce. Ignis places a hand on Prompto’s shoulder, a gesture seeming to say ‘nice try.’ Gladiolus simply stares on, frustrated, and feeling useless.

When they settle in for the night at the nearest haven, Noctis is quick to turn in for bed after finishing his meal.

 

Enough is enough.

 

The next day, Noctis wakes up on his own, to his surprise. Usually, it’s the din of the phone alarm that wakes him, or Gladiolus shaking him out of his unconsciousness. Getting up, he looks around, only to find that the tent is completely empty. His companions are nowhere to be found. He hears the scuffling of boots and the clinking of utensils right outside the thin walls of the tent. He checks his phone for the time.

12:46 PM.

He nearly jumps out of the tent.

He opts for clumsily, but quickly crawling out instead. He didn’t realize how much his body hurt after all that physical activity, and it hits him all at once, making him topple over before he can even get up. “Guys,” he says breathless, shambling to properly stand as the others watch in silence. “Why didn’t you wake me up?”

He gives his companions a good look; they are the picture of routine, as if it isn’t approaching 1 pm and they don’t have a world to save and they aren’t wasting precious seconds. Ignis is holding a plate of food in one hand, and a cup of Ebony in the other as he stands behind their kitchenette. Prompto is tapping away on his phone as he leans back against his chocobo, not a care in the world. Gladiolus is sitting by the remains of the campfire, reading a book about something not as important as reclaiming the crystal.

“I mean…” Gladiolus breaks the silence first. “Look at you. You’re a mess.”

“Yeah dude.” Prompto is quick to agree, switching his phone off. “You need all the rest you can get. Your eyebags have eyebags.”

Noctis stands taken aback, as if he doesn’t know what could’ve inspired such words.

“Have a seat, Noct. Lunch will be ready soon.” Ignis says from behind the counter.

He feels like they’re playing some kind of cruel joke on him by allowing him to sleep in like this, even though it’s what he’s needed, what he’s been asking for, since even before they left on this trip.

He takes the seat opposite Gladiolus, and Prompto gets up to take the one next to him. “I don’t get it.” Noctis says, feeling defeated. “We need to go.”

“We aren’t going anywhere with how you are now.” Gladiolus replies. He sets his book aside, focusing on the long overdue intervention at hand. “You need to quit with the non-stop warp striking. It isn’t working.”

“Sorry Noct, gotta agree with Gladio this time.” Prompto smiles sheepishly. “I get that it’s your way of dealing with all of this–“ he makes a vague hand gesture, unable to articulate the conglomerate of loss that they’ve had to experience. “–but it’s not right.”

“Allow yourself some time to recover, Noct.” Ignis says, handing him a bowl. “Yes, the world needs saving, the crystal needs reclaiming, and you need ascending, but, surely, it can wait until you’re fully rested.”

Noctis takes the bowl, unsure of what to say. He looks at his friends in the seats around him. He understands that what they've been trying to do this whole time was an act of love. He's more grateful than he can even express.

“It only makes sense, seeing as you can’t work to the fullest of your ability without us.” Ignis continues. “Let us stand by your side. We share in your burden.”

“Yeah!” Prompto agrees, leaning over to nudge Noctis on the shoulder. “We’re here for you, Noct. Don’t forget it.”

“Can’t let you have all the fun.” Gladiolus huffs, but smiles nonetheless.

“Yeah,” Noctis says, looking at them once more. He’s sure to make eye contact this time, hoping that it will communicate his sincerity and gratitude better than his words can.

“I know.”


End file.
